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JANUARY 15, 2003
What You Get from Aerobics

With New Year's resolutions to become fit, more people are heading to the gym. A good aerobics program involves almost all of the body's muscles, and is a great way to get in shape. Aerobics caught on because it has the appeal of dance, offers the companionship of a group, and costs very little. The combination of calisthenics with repetitive dance routines allows you to improve your heart health. Step aerobics offers a high cardiovascular workout with low body impact. Stepping represents the aerobic equivalent of a 7-mile run and the impact equivalent of a 3-mile walk. Add in hand weights and you can develop your arms and upper body as well. Water, or aqua, aerobics is hard on the muscles and soft on the joints, and allows you to reach a greater range of motion than you can on land.

How Not to Get Hurt
Find a facility that offers various levels of aerobics classes and experienced instructors who can start you at the right level. Resist being moved up to a higher class if you are having difficulty. The mark of a seasoned instructor is knowing how hard to push. If you feel persistent pain in your muscles or joints, stop exercising and have the pain evaluated. Look for an instructor with training in teaching aerobics and certification by a reputable national organization.

Tips to Improve Your Aerobics
  • Find a program that includes 20 minutes of continuous exercise to put you within your target heart rate zone (subtract your age from 220, and multiply that number by .60 and .85 for an optimal range of beats per minute). The program should include a warmup of 5-10 minutes, a variety of activities, and then a cool-down of 5-10 minutes.

  • Monitor your heart rate while you exercise to make sure you stay within your target zone. In a mass aerobics class, you have to monitor your heart rate yourself. A good aerobics instructor will stop the class and let you do it. If you are doing aerobics at home, stop every 5 minutes to check your pulse and calculate your heart rate.

  • Look for low-impact aerobics programs that involve a lot of stepping, side-to-side, step-touch motions, and leg bending to shift body weight. Better yet, try water aerobics, which is the least jarring on your joints.

  • Avoid being overly competitive in aerobics class. Aerobics is a way of improving your health, not a competitive sport. You want to be in the best shape possible, but that doesn't mean you have to be in as good a shape as the person next to you.

  • Try a class with a different twist or a different style of music. Aerobics classes may stress sports movements, circuit workouts that provide muscle toning and strengthening along with aerobic conditioning, power yoga or tai chi moves, or a blend of styles.
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